Huskers Top Tigers, 3-2

Lincoln  Sarah Pavan totaled four of her match-high 22 kills in a game five, lifting No. 2 Nebraska to a 30-19, 32-34, 30-11, 24-30, 15-10 victory over a game Missouri squad Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum.

Pavan recorded her third double-double of the year with 22 kills on .347 hitting and 14 digs, and came up big in game five with four kills, including each of the final two points, and four digs. Her effort helped the Huskers extend their home winning streak to 67 matches and bounce back from their first loss of the year last Wednesday.

Pavan was one of five Huskers with at least 10 kills, as Nebraska improved to 20-1 on the season and 12-1 in the Big 12. Jordan Larson totaled 17 kills and 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the year, becoming the 19th Husker to reach the 1,000-plateau.

Four Huskers finished with double-doubles, including Houghtelling (14 kills, 22 digs) and Rachel Holloway (64 assists, 13 digs), while Stalls totaled 10 kills and four blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. NU’s middle blockers combined for 24 kills, including a career-high 14 from Kori Cooper on .385 hitting.

Rachel Schwartz also enjoyed a career night, totaling 21 digs in helping NU post an 88-85 advantage in digs and limit the Tigers to .161 hitting, well under the .228 clip they hit in the first matchup two weeks ago.

Nebraska Coach John Cook was disappointed with the inconsistency the Huskers showed Wednesday, as the Huskers could not find a consistent level of play for most of the night. NU committed a season-high 14 service errors and combined for 14 hitting errors in the two games it lost.

“It was very frustrating,” Cook said. “That’s not how we play, and how we’ve played most of the year, we’ve been really good with most of those things. It’s frustrating, but it’s Halloween. Weird things happen on Halloween.”

“I thought we came out and played a great first game, and then we went complacent,” Cook said. Then Missouri got the momentum, and we started breaking down everywhere. Then we came out and played a great game three like we did at Colorado last year  blow them up in game three. Then I think we thought it’s over.’ So we ended up at game five.”

Nebraska came out strong defensively in the opener, holding the Tigers to .054 hitting in a 30-19 victory. Cooper and Larson had four kills apiece, while Holloway totaled 13 assists as well as a trio of kills on as many swings. Leading 4-3, the Huskers took control by running off six of the next seven points, primarily coming off the serving of Schwartz and Pavan, to take a 10-4 lead after Pavan’s ace. Missouri hung around and was within 20-14, but three straight errors and kills from Holloway and Larson gave the Huskers an 11-point cushion at 25-14.

While the Huskers controlled game one, both teams had opportunities to win game two before the Tigers prevailed, 34-32, becoming the first Big 12 team to take a game from the NU Coliseum since November of 2005. Na Yang led MU with eight kills on .429 hitting, while Pavan totaled eight kills of her own and hit over .400. Holloway got NU off to a quick start with four straight points from the service line to open the game, and the Huskers built an 8-4 lead before the Tigers regrouped, running off four straight points of their own to pull even at 88 on a Megan Wilson kill. Trailing 11-10, NU ran off five unanswered points to pull ahead 15-11 after a Pavan kill. Missouri forged back, eventually tying the score at 17 on a Yang kill and the teams then proceeded to trade points. Nebraska trailed 27-26, but used kills from Pavan and Stalls and a solo block from Pavan to take a 29-27 lead. The Huskers could not close the game out as a service error and a Megan Wilson kill tied it at 29. Pavan gave NU its second opportunity at game point with a kill to make it 30-29, but a Catie Wilson kill and a block from Megan Wilson and Wang put MU up 31-30. The Huskers seemingly got a break when Wang was call for being in the net on game to make it 31-all. NU tied it again at 32-all on a Pavan kill, but an attack error and a Megan Wilson ace sent the teams tied heading into the intermission.

The Huskers turned it on in game three, putting together a solid effort in a 30-11 rout. NU hit .410 on 39 swings, while holding Mizzou to -.053 hitting. Cooper and Larson combined for 10 kills for the Big Red, while Holloway and Pavan both enjoyed extended service runs. The Huskers used an early 6-1 run to take a decisive 11-6 lead after a Larson kill and than began another 6-0 run with Holloway serving, pushing the margin to 17-8. Pavan then closed out the game in style, running off the final seven points at the service line as part of a game-ending 8-0 spurt.

Missouri showed heart in game four, jumping out to an early lead and never trailing in a 30-24 win. Wang totaled six of her 10 kills in the game and keyed a 5-0 run at the service line, helping the Tigers build a commanding 14-7 advantage. The Huskers eventually pulled to within 21-19 after a Kayla Banwarth ace and Larson kill, but a Megan Wilson kill and an ace from Caitlyn Vann quickly made it a four-point lead. From there, the Huskers were unable to slice into the Tiger advantage, as Missouri took the match to game five.

The Huskers seized the momentum early in game five, running off four straight points to erase a 3-2 deficit and take a 6-3 lead. MU pulled to within 6-5, but a Houghtelling kill and a big solo block from Stalls of Wang allowed NU to take a three-point lead at the changeover. Missouri closed to within 9-7, but two straight Tiger attack errors started a 4-1 Husker run, as a kill and an ace from Larson on consecutive plays pushed the NU lead to 13-8. Pavan then slammed the door on the Tigers’ upset hopes with the final two swings of the night.

“I thought we served great in game five,” Cook said. Jordan Larson hit the hardest jump serve I’ve seen her hit all year. That was great to see. We had to dial it in. Sarah had a great run in the third game, and that blew that game open. Serving is always very, very important. Missouri served it short, and we didn’t handle it very well.”

The Huskers return to action on Saturday night, as they travel to Manhattan, Kan., to take on Kansas State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried on the Huskers Sports Network and televised state-wide on Nebraska Educational Television.